Flowers

A couple of years ago, I picked up some perennial anemone at the nursery for its late summer flowers and height (about 3-4'). I hadn't had experience with this plant before, so I only bought a few to try. Anemone immediately became my favorite late summer plant, so I purchased more when I found it in…

Ever heard of echibeckia? I hadn't, but I found it in the nursery as I was searching for a replacement for a 'Prairie Sun' rudbeckia this morning. (One of them sadly got scorched in last week's 100 degree temperature). 'Prairie Sun' rudbeckia While I can luckily order my replacement, I bought a 'Summerina' echibeckia in case my…

Last summer, I purchased a gardenia plant (an evergreen shrub with wonderfully fragrant white flowers) that Van Winden's Nursery plant experts promised me would be happy in the shade. I wanted to have one by my front door so we could enjoy that wonderful fragrance they provide. I put it in a terracotta pot, with plenty of…

After our Garden Conservancy trip to Sun Valley, I had a short list of perennials that I fell in love with in the gardens we visited (which I always have after these great trips). So, I went online and tracked down seeds for some of these favorites - Shasta Daisies, Crazy Daisies and a few varieties of…

I arrived in my Napa garden after being out of town for a few weeks and was sad to see much of my garden color from spring and early summer gone. The roses are in between blooms and many of my remaining flowers have been bleached out by the intense sun and heat of our summer…

It's official! I'm totally in love with the Coneflower, or echinacea. Vicki and I were in Sun Valley last week for the summer Garden Conservancy trip and the standout flower for me (and it was stiff competition) was the Coneflower. I didn't realize how many varieties and colors there are. The wonderful thing about these flowers…

I was just introduced to photographer Kathleen Clemons through Creative Live's great photography courses and she has changed my life forever! I LOVE taking pictures and the more time I spend taking various pictures, the more I've discovered my love for photographing flowers. So I've been learning as much as I can about how to take beautiful…

A favorite stop of mine in Prouts Neck is visiting Martha ("Farmer Martha") and her farm, located on the main drag. Just look for her sign for flowers, vegetables and fresh eggs, marking the true beginning of summer in this area of Maine. Helen and I visited her on our final day of our trip.…

We spent the Fourth of July, as every year, with our dear friends in Prouts Neck, Maine - the perfect place to celebrate America on her birthday, with its American flags, red, white & blue decorated bicycles, multi-generational family gatherings, blue hydrangeas and fireworks. My favorite moment upon arrival is checking out Helen's latest in her…

The season is ending for our foxglove, sadly, but what a season it was! Because we allow our foxgloves to linger and drop their seeds at the end of each growing season, we have more and more of these stately flowers each spring. I wanted to share some of my favorite foxglove moments from this spring. I love the…

Every spring, there is a moment when our roses are at their absolute peak and this year the moment was May 3-4. The weekend before when friends were with us in Oakville was almost the peak. The following weekend when other friends were with us was just after the peak. It's amazing that a few days can make such a difference.…

I noticed a couple of years ago that my border garden was a little uni-dimensional and needed some variation in height. So I experimented with adding some trellises throughout the border and planting a variety of climbing roses last year. I'm happy to report that the results of that experiment are in - this addition has turned out beautifully!…

Lilacs are a relatively new plant in my garden, as I wasn't sure they would prosper in northern California. They prefer zones 3-9 and we're on the edge of that range at 9. I've had my plants for nearly 3 years and what I have learned is that they prefer nearly full sunlight in the…

My roses are early this year in the Napa Valley. I have been watching them emerge in my garden for the past three weeks! I can't remember when I last saw blooming roses in my garden in March. And there is nothing like the first blooms of the year. Enjoy some of the roses we're enjoying…

Arrangement from Lacey by Bloomers in San Francisco Thank goodness my birthday is in March because all of my favorite flowers and plants are in the spring! Roses, peonies, tulips, daffodils, lilac, ranunculus, viburnum, cherry and dogwood blooms. I had an especially floral birthday this year and I wish to share some of the flowers I…

My husband and I are enjoying our first time in Courchevel, a charming and very special mountain resort in France, which is part of 'Les Trois Vallées'. Throughout our hotel and many of the local hotels and restaurants are beautiful arrangements of cut and potted amaryllis. I've never seen so many interesting arrangements using these flowers nor…

I received a wonderful email from David Austin last week advertising five roses that they recommend for shadier spots in our gardens. I have a few of those in my Napa Valley garden and am going to have to try some of these roses to see how they do. Not only are the colors of these roses…

Alex and I just love the holidays and we have worked for years with Grant Rector to transform our home into a magical Christmas environment that we so enjoy sharing with friends and family. We have two especially beautiful flower arrangements this year that are worth sharing and remembering for next year. The first arrangement is beautiful for it's…

I had lunch today with Sharon and she gave me a gorgeous Christmas gift that I want to share with all of you flower enthusiasts as you shop for your holiday gifts: Veranda's The Romance of Flowers. It is a stunning book with inspirational photos of gorgeous flower arrangements in beautiful home settings, flower objets and flowers…

We were in Napa over the weekend and I couldn't believe how beautiful the fall is, this year. I expect to see the changing leaves of the grape vines from green to yellow to red this time of year, but what I didn't expect was how robust my roses are. Tamara Roses These full-blooming roses against…